5 Things to Know About ‘Sie’ and ‘Du’

By

Bertrand Benoit

Mar 4, 2015 5:32 am ET

For English speakers newly landed in Germany, learning when to call someone “Du” or “Sie”—the informal and formal forms of address—can be agonizing. English has no equivalent distinction, with ‘you’ serving all purposes. This venerable art of addressing people is no dying pursuit in Germany, however heartily locals embrace modernity.